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Isa 62:1-12. Intercessory
Prayers for Zion's Restoration, Accompanying God's Promises of It, as
the Appointed Means of Accomplishing It.

1. I—the prophet, as representative of
all the praying people of God who love and intercede for Zion (compare
Isa 62:6, 7; Ps 102:13-17), or else Messiah (compare Isa 62:6). So Messiah is represented as
unfainting in His efforts for His people (Isa 42:4;
50:7).

righteousness thereof—not its own
inherently, but imputed to it, for its restoration to God's favor:
hence "salvation" answers to it in the parallelism. "Judah" is
to be "saved" through "the Lord our (Judah's and the
Church's) righteousness" (Jer 23:6).

in … hand of … Lord—As a
crown is worn on the head, not "in the hand," hand must
here be figurative for "under the Lord's protection" (compare
De 33:3). "All His saints are in thy
hand." His people are in His hand at the same time that they are
"a crown of glory" to Him (Re 6:2; 19:12); reciprocally, He is "a crown of
glory and a diadem of beauty" to them (Isa 28:5; compare Mal 3:17).

4. be termed—be "forsaken," so as
that that term could be applicable to thee.

Hephzi-bah—(2Ki 21:1), the name of Hezekiah's wife, a type of
Jerusalem, as Hezekiah was of Messiah (Isa 32:1): "my delight is in her."

Beulah—"Thou art married." See the
same contrast of Zion's past and future state under the same figure
(Isa 54:4-6; Re 21:2, 4).

land … married—to Jehovah as its
Lord and Husband: implying not only ownership, but
protection on the part of the Owner [Horsley].

5. thy sons—rather, changing the points,
which are of no authority in Hebrew, "thy builder" or
"restorer," that is, God; for in the parallel clause, and in Isa 62:4, God is implied as being "married"
to her; whereas her "sons" could hardly be said to marry their mother;
and in Isa
49:18, they are said to be
her bridal ornaments, not her husband. The plural form,
builders, is used of God in reverence as "husbands" (see on Isa 54:5).

watchmen upon … walls—image from
the watches set upon a city's wall to look out for the approach of a
messenger with good tidings (Isa 52:7, 8); the good tidings of the return of the
Jewish exiles from Babylon, prefiguring the return from the present
dispersion (compare Isa 21:6-11; 56:10; Eze 3:17;
33:7). The watches in the
East are announced by a loud cry to mark the vigilance of the
watchmen.

ye that … mention …
Lord—Hebrew, "ye that are the Lord's remembrancers";
God's servants who by their prayers "put God in remembrance" of His
promises (Isa 43:26);
we are required to remind God, as if God could, which He cannot,
forget His promises (Ps 119:49; Jer 14:21).

sons of …
stranger—Foreigners shall no more rob thee of the
fruit of thy labors (compare Isa 65:21, 22).

9. eat … and praise—not consume it
on their own lusts, and without thanksgiving.

drink it in … courts—They who
have gathered the vintage shall drink it at the feasts held in
the courts surrounding the temple (De 12:17, 18; 14:23, &c.).

10. What Isaiah in the person of Messiah had
engaged in (Isa 62:1)
unrestingly to seek, and what the watchmen were unrestingly to pray for
(Isa
62:7), and what Jehovah
solemnly promised (Isa 62:8, 9), is now to be fulfilled; the Gentile
nations are commanded to "go through the gates" (either of their own
cities [Rosenmuller] or of Jerusalem
[Maurer]), in order to remove all
obstacles out of "the way of the people (Israel)" (see on Isa 7:14; Isa 40:3; 52:10-12).

standard—for the dispersed Jews to
rally round, with a view to their return (Isa 49:22;
11:12).